


Jason's Seven Rules of Ghost Hunting

by DawnsEternalLight



Category: Batman - Fandom, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Ghosts, Tim looks funny in goggles just picture it ok, ghost hunt - Freeform, rules to ghost hunting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-23 18:08:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7474491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnsEternalLight/pseuds/DawnsEternalLight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim and Jason go on a ghost hunt in an old creepy mansion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jason's Seven Rules of Ghost Hunting

_Rule One of Ghost Hunting: Never agree to go on a Ghost Hunt while drunk, when your sober it doesn’t seem nearly as funny-_ Jason made a mental note to write down his list of ghost hunting tips for posterity’s sake, or maybe just so he could have something to show for all this when it was over. 

"This is stupid," he said as he peered into what was probably the hundredth creepy darkened corner he'd encountered that night.

"Give it some time, Jaybird. Don't you want to be able to tell Damian that we saw a real ghost?" Tim said stepping up next to him.

Jason swung his flashlight over to illuminate his brother. Tim was loaded down with all kinds of equipment, half of which Jason had tuned out the names of when their tour guide had said them. He wasn’t interested in the gizmos, just the possible ghost.

" _You_ want to be able to tell Damian you saw a real ghost. I’m in it to rub this whole thing in your face when we don’t find anything." 

Tim frowned, “Ghosts exist, Jason.”

“Of course they do,” Jason agreed, “You see one every day, two if you count Damian.”

Tim shook his head, making the bulky green goggles balanced on it wobble, "If you’re any kind of mythical creature it'd be a zombie."

_Rule Two: Never take Tim along on a ghost hunting trip, the only thing funny about him is the goggles he’s wearing._

"Careful or I might eat your brains. You've got plenty to spare," Jason reached out as if to grab at his head and Tim swatted his hand away. 

"Stop goofing around and look for ghosts. The guide said we had the best chance of finding one in the library," Tim pulled out his map and turned the flashlight down on it, “We should be close. It’s through one of these doors.”

“There’s a lot of doors in this hallway. How come we had to pick the biggest abandoned mansion in Gotham for this little trip?” Jason groaned.

“We didn’t. You did.”

“You’re the one who said ‘ohh that one, it’ll be perfect’.”

“I was on my 12th cup of coffee for the night, I can’t be held accountable for anything I said at that point.”

_Rule Three: Never pay an inordinate amount of money to a shady online group promising 'The Perfect Ghost Hunting Experience' while drunk and egged on by a Tim on his 12 th cup of coffee._

“Riiight, I’ll remember that next time you suggest going on a ghost hunting trip,” Jason said as he opened one of the doors and looked inside, nothing but a dusty old room. He backed out and turned to look at the other side of the hall as Tim peered into a door.

His brother was gazing with a strong intensity at the display on one of his ‘ghost trackers’. Jason didn’t even have to think about his next move, making his steps silent he approached Tim from behind until he was within a hairs breath of his brother.

“BOO!” he yelled at the top of his lungs and jumped back as Tim screamed and spun on him, the device clattering to the ground with an overly loud crash.  

“Not funny Jason!”

“You’re right,” Jason said through hysterical laughter, “It’s hilarious.”

_Rule Four: Take every opportunity to scare Tim, it’s the funniest thing about Ghost Hunting._

Tim glared at him before turning to try and find the lost device, “I don’t know why I ever agree to do anything with you,” he grumbled as he swung his light around the room he’d been examining.

“Ok, ok. No more jokes,” Jason grinned as he followed Tim into the room, “Let me help you find your ghost thing.”

They eventually found the device resting against a bureau on the far side of the room. Tim scooped it up and examined it for any cracks or breaks while Jason held his light on it.

“What’s got you so pumped to find a ghost anyway?” he asked after a moment.

“Hu?” Tim never glanced up from his examination, “I guess I just want to know, there’s no scientific proof of their existence, but-” He paused, “We’ve lost so many people, it’d be nice to have a look at what happens. To know. You know?" 

Satisfied with the state of the device he finally looked up at Jason and his face paled even in the dark room, “Jason, I didn’t mean- I wasn’t thinking- I’m sorry.”

Jason waved off his worry, “It’s fine, but if you were so curious you could have just asked,” he grinned and Tim’s frown deepened as he stood from the crouch he’d assumed to pick up the device.

“It’s not. This whole thing was a bad idea,” he ran a hand through his hair, bumping awkwardly on the goggles, “Talk about insensitive.”

“Well there’s that too. But really, Timmers, I don’t mind the ghost thing. I mean, something’s got to happen to us, or everyone who comes back would just be a shell, and since I don’t remember very much anything is better than nothing,” Jason leaned back against the bureau and crossed his arms.

Tim looked about to answer when the device in his hand began to beep. At the same time the bureau under Jason’s shoulder began to shake and push back away from him making him jump back with a, “I didn’t do it!”

The errant furniture moved back until it opened a passageway deep into the building. Both Tim and Jason moved to the opening and aimed their flashlights down the corridor. Tim held the device into the hall and its slow beep sped up.

_Rule Five: Never, under any circumstances enter creepy secret tunnels that open up when leaning against things. No matter what Tim says, he hasn’t had 12 cups of coffee yet and can still be held accountable for his words._

Tim glanced at Jason, “We have to go in.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“It’s a creepy tunnel, the answer is no.”

“It’s a secret passageway, and the answer is yes, whether you’re coming or not,” Tim said and began down the hall, his device beeping along with his steps.

Jason waited a moment before hurrying after him, “If anything happens, I’m blaming this on you,” he shot at Tim as he caught up.

“I can handle that,” Tim said.

They followed the passage for a while, the beeping growing at a steady rate, until they reached a door. Jason motioned towards it as if to tell his companion, ‘this was your idea, you open the door’. Tim nodded and turned the handle. The door swung inward and they both peered inside.

They found a room empty of any furniture aside from a painting hanging directly across from the door. Tim was the first to move into the room, followed by Jason, both of them moving as if they were walking on eggshells.

The painting was old, and not just because of the dust. Jason could tell from the way the paint was cracked with age. The painter’s style was also telling in its age, and he put its age at somewhere around 100 years. He whistled as he looked it over, the woman depicted in it was beautiful, in an almost unearthly way, though that could be chalked up to the fact that it was late into the night and they were viewing her portrait under the glow to two flashlights.

Without warning, both flashlights began to flicker erratically before clicking off altogether. Jason uttered a curse and hit the plastic tool against his hand. On the third strike the light clicked back on revealing what looked like a woman standing before the two of them.

_Rule Six: If you see a woman appear in what was an empty room, don’t think. Run._

“Jason, are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Tim asked.

Jason nodded and then realized that Tim probably couldn’t see the motion, “I think so,” he said at last.

The woman’s hair seemed to flow behind her and her dress curled around her by an unfelt wind. For a few moments the three stared at each other before the woman’s face contorted into a gruesome snarl, followed by a scream, pitched higher than Tim’s had been earlier.

Jason had faced a lot of things in his life, a freaky screaming woman ghost or not, was something he was sure he wouldn’t want to face in the daytime, let alone the middle of the night in an abandoned mansion. He turned at the same time as Tim and both charged from the room at a full run.

They didn’t stop as they raced through the passage, back into mansion proper, down the stairs, and out the front door. Once outside they paused, panting as they stared up at the mansion.

“What was that?” Jason asked.

“A ghost. We saw one! Damian’s going to flip his lid when I tell him.”

“No, couldn’t be. It was a trick of the light,” Jason said.

“She screamed, Jason.”

“That could have been you.”

“You know it wasn’t.”

“Then a broken A/C unit,” Jason said.

“Believe what you want, Jaybird. It was totally a ghost.”

Jason turned to Tim, “When you tell Damian, and Dick, and Alfred, and whoever else you’re planning to tell about this adventure promise me one thing and I’ll agree it was a ghost.”

“Anything,” Tim grinned.

“Leave out the part where we ran like terrified schoolchildren.”

“I wouldn’t think of mentioning it.”

_Rule Seven: If in the event you didn’t run during rule six and ended up bolting from the building, make a pact with Tim to never, ever tell anyone the truth about how your adventure ended. It’s funnier to keep it between the two of you._


End file.
